Jean Paul Bigirimana and Claudine Mukandayisenga from Ruhango district, Kinazi sector have long believed that providing food and breastfeeding is enough to raise their children. However, when they began to receive parenting education through First Steps ( Intera za Mbere) project, their beliefs changed.
Fist Steps project, implemented by Umuhuza Organisation in partnership with Save the Children, aimed to promote healthy early childhood education by offering parenting education to parents of 0-3 years old.
The project focused on parental support for physical, socio-emotional, cognitive, and language development, as well as building basic skills for emerging literacy home, benefiting 620 families in Ruhango district since October 2021.
Parents, both men and women, received parenting practices and child development studies through regular community parenting education sessions, home visits, book borrowing and radio programs.
Two days a week, parents followed a 15 -minute parenting education program broadcast by Radio Huguka. Families regularly welcomed community family volunteers who provided parenting and cooking courses to prepare a balanced diet.
This intervention in particular became a source of change for the family of Bigirimana and Mukandayisenga.
The couple used drama and poetry to show their living condition before and after the project.
Sharing their experience, the couple was sitting on a bench at home. Wife was holding the child as the husband held a booklet and a wooden guitar.
Mukandayisenga testified : “ We have benefited enormously. We did not know how to prepare a balanced diet. My husband never cared about his child’s development, and since we took parenting sessions he has changed completely . He loves children more now than I do. We are a happy family.”
She proudly said that the family was grateful to Umuhuza for educating them on how to properly raise their children by fighting malnutrition.
Her husband, Bigirimana, agreed with her, saying Umuhuza saved him from ignorance.
“ I knew nothing about raising children, but today I am well equipped.Now, my child is my priority and am proud to play with her,” he noted.
Bigirimana has used locally available materials to make a wooden acoustic guitar which he uses to play with his baby.
Another parent, Christophe Sengabo, added to the couple’s testimony, saying the project provided his family with proper parenting skills.
“I know that parenting is the responsibility of both parents. I now understand that parents are the primary role models for children. We should live together peacefully and create a child-friendly environment at home,” he added.